Kilauea Road is an approximately 1.8-mile rural roadway at the northernmost extent of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. This roadway permits access to the Kilauea Point Lighthouse which has since 1985 been part of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.
Kilauea Road was built to permit overland access through the Kilauea Sugar Plantation to the Kilauea Point Lighthouse. This lighthouse was dedicated on May 1, 1913, and was operational until 1976. The 200-foot-high cliffs and easy access to birds such as the Nene make Kilauea Road one of the most notable non-State Highway corridors on Kauai.
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Part 1; the history of Kilauea Point Lighthouse
Kilauea Point is the northernmost extent of the island Kauai. This point is a peninsula built upon lava rock which protrudes into the Pacific Ocean. Kilauea Point is displayed (as Lao o Kilauea) on the 1903 Hawaii Territory Survey map of Kauai. The closest roadway is shown to be located approximately a mile to the south in what is now the community of Kilauea (then the Kilauea Sugar Plantation).
In 1909 thirty-one acres at and around Kilauea Point were purchased by the Federal Government from the Kilauea Sugar Plantation (for $1) for the purposes of building a lighthouse. Construction of Kilauea Point Lighthouse began on July 1, 1912. Construction material for the lighthouse was brought to the location via ship where it was hoisted from the water via a boom derrick. The then new lighthouse was dedicated on May 1, 1913. Kilauea Road was constructed north from the Kauai Belt Road (now Kuhio Highway) to permit overland access to the lighthouse.
The Kilauea Point Lighthouse is 52 feet high and was constructed of reinforced concrete. The Fresnel lens is approximately 9,000 pounds which is floated on mercury and compressed air. The lighthouse received electricity in 1930, and the original lamp was replaced by a lit bulb.
Kilauea Point Lighthouse can be seen as a major destination on the 1931 Hawaii Tourist Bureau map of Kauai.
Kilauea Road is displayed branching north of Hawaii Route 56 (Kuhio Highway) in Kilauea towards Kilauea Point Lighthouse on the 1959 Gousha Highway map of Kauai.
Kilauea Point Lighthouse and the nearby Coast Guard Station can be seen on the 1963 United States Geological Survey map of Anahola. The cliffs around the lighthouse are shown to be approximately 200 feet high.
In 1974 Kilauea Point Lighthouse was automated. The structure was decommissioned in 1976 as the Coast Guard installed a modernized beacon a smaller nearby tower. Ultimately Kilauea Point Lighthouse was preserved as it was added to the National Register of Historical Places on October 18, 1979.
Kilauea Point Lighthouse was incorporated into the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge during 1985. This refuge is one of the easiest places to find Nene (Hawaiian Goose) and various other migratory birds. The structure was officially renamed as Daniel K. Inouye Kilauea Point Lighthouse on May 1, 2013. Inouye served as a U.S. Senator representing Hawaii from January 3, 1963, to December 17, 2012.
Part 2; a drive on Kilauea Road to Kilauea Point Lighthouse
Northbound Kilauea Road begins at Kolo Road in the community of Kilauea. Kolo Road is a former segment of Hawaii Route 56 (Kuhio Highway) which was bypassed in 1973.
As Kilauea Road departs north of Kilauea the speed limit drops to 15 Miles Per Hour. The reason for this speed limit being so low is due to the numerous Nene nesting along the roadway.
Kilauea Road terminates at the entrance gate of Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. Access to the refuge is granted only by making a reservation. The Kilauea Point Lighthouse is observable from a vista at the end of the roadway.
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